Little Drummer Boy Free Ableton Live Pack #133

Merry Christmas! Free Little Drummer Boy Instruments!

It's a tradition here to create a special free Ableton Live Pack for Christmas. This year I have built a collection of five Ableton Live devices made from a Little Drummer Boy Christmas ornament. This little toy has been in my family since I was a little kid, and its familiar sound and melody take me right back to my childhood.

Thanks to the help of my 9-year-old nephew Sam, we sampled the music as well as the cranking mechanism from the Little Drummer Boy. From there I made a Drum Rack with the percussive cranking and clicking sounds, and four melodic instruments.

The Little Drummer Boy Ableton Live Instrument Collection!

The melodic instruments are pretty cool because they loop in time with your music, thanks to Simpler's new warping engine. You get to choose the speed at which the notes loop and layer them together. There's also a granular version, in which the sample is stretched out far past its original length. It makes for some really cool textures.

I've also included a couple of reversed sample instruments. These are my personal favorite, as the sound of the Little Drummer Boy because a bit otherworldly and very interesting. Here's a quick example of what the instruments sound like:

Little Drummer Boy Ableton Live Pack

Merry Christmas!

The Little Drummer Boy Ableton Live Pack contains 5 Ableton Live Instruments made from samples of a little drummer boy Christmas ornament.

One instrument is a Drum Rack of percussive sounds made from recording of the crank mechanism to the Little Drummer Boy. The other four are melodic instruments playable across the keyboard. They have a great charm and character to them!

AfroDJMac is the work of Brian Funk, a New York-based musician, producer, and Ableton Certified Trainer. He's a writer, podcaster, and curious sound designer who loves to share his knowledge about music production and the creative process.